Digital News

Research from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, has found that smart technology could halve asthma patients’ risk of suffering attacks and being admitted to hospital, thereby preventing deaths.

During a decade-long study involving almost 15,000 patients, University of Auckland school of pharmacy senior clinical research fellow, Dr Amy Chan, worked with researchers from University College London and Queen Mary University of London to examine 50 years of research on asthma.

They found that smart technologies, including automated text messages and electronic prompts, made a significant difference in asthma control. This is expected to play a significant role in preventing unnecessary deaths.

“Digital technologies that aim to improve medication-taking can increase people taking their medication in the way it has been prescribed by 15%, and improve asthma control and quality of life,” commented Dr Chan.

“Most people with asthma are hospitalised because of poor control; by having regular medication taking, it will reduce the risk.”

With one in eight New Zealand adults and one in seven children taking medication for asthma, Dr Chan shared that the technologies were “life-changing” for many.

“Not only does medication-taking every day make a difference, it can save lives. The key message to digital technologies, they need to integrate it, because it does work and helps with control.”

“Asthma attacks are still the main cause of loss of life from asthma and loss of quality of life.

“At the moment, we don’t have any good tools that can predict when someone will have an attack.”